


This is Real

by Fade_Writer13



Category: Dragon Age
Genre: Cullen captured, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, blood mages and abominations, dorian to the rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 21:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6093922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fade_Writer13/pseuds/Fade_Writer13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cullen is captured by blood mages. Dorian and Talon set out to save him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This is Real

Voices, that's all he could hear. Soft, whispers all around him. He could see nothing, feel nothing, he was alone. 

Cullens eyes eventually fluttered open; a barrier, thats the first thing he saw. He was surrounded by an all too familiar barrier as well as some unruly looking mages. He sat upright rubbing the back of his head. "What happened?" He thought to himself as the looked around at the mages. Cullen could hear screaming and turned his head coming face to face with an abomination. Cullen yelped as he scrambled over to the other side of the barrier, hugging himself as he stared at the creature in horror.

"Looks like our friend here is awake." One of the mages crackled.

A Mage approached the barrier and squatted near him. "Hello Cullen Rutherford. It's so good of you to finally join us. I'd be put off if you missed this." A villainous grin crept onto the mages face.

"M-missed what?!"

The Mage laughed. "I'd hoped you'd ask! We're finishing our masters work!"

"Your masters...work?" Cullen had no clue as to who their "master" was for Coryphues was now two years dead. 

"Why of course, his progress was sadly halted during the blight. You were there, at Kinclock hold. You were there when the warden slew our master."

Cullens eyes went wide with fear. The memories of those days he spent trapped within that barrier began flood back into his mind. He watched the Mage as he stood before he pointed towards another groups of mages. 

"Do you remember what he did to the mages?" He laughed. "Why am I even asking? Of course you do. You see, we were lost and unable to finish his work until The Elder One had approached us. His Venitori taught us new and wondrous things..." 

The Mage walked over to the groups of mages grabbing one of the girls by the hair hoisting her up. Cullen could see the tears streaming down her face as she was forced to her knees. A female Mage handed an ornament dagger, ones usually used in ceremonies, to the head Mage.

"I just realized...that I haven't told you my name, not that it matters though." He sighed fiddling with the dagger. "Might as well." He bowed mockingly. "My name is Eric and I am a current Venitori Mage. You might remember me....or not after all, I did set fire to the Templars hair...the who brought me in of course."

Cullen did remembers him, in fact he remembered that aside from that odd Mage Anders that Eric was one of the few mages constantly put into isolation. Eric sighed as he yanked the girls head back placing the dagger to her throat.

"NO!" Cullen didn't think twice before he spoke, glaring at the mages as they laughed.

"Think ya can stop us!"

"Ha! Your nothing but a beat up old Templar!

"Oooo I'm so scared!" 

The mages mocked him over and over again until Eric silenced them. He pulled the girls head back a bit more, digging the dagger into her neck slightly. 

"Watch Templar Cullen...watch as she is reborn."

The girl tried to scream thought the gag in her mouth as he tried to break free of his grasp. Eric smiled as he drew the dagger across her neck forcing boos to spurt out and onto the ground in from of them. Cullen watched in horror as the pool of blood started to move, wrapping itself around the girls body. Her form started to change, becoming more and more monsters until any trace of her having been human had vanished.

"See! Isn't she magnificence!!!" 

Cullen started to scream as the creature came closer and closer to him. "Maker, anyone please save me!!!!"

~*~

It had been a couple days since Talon and Dorian had started their search. The Emerald Graves was a big place, even bigger when your trying to track down one man. It was a letter Dorian had recently received that had prompted their search. The letter was basically a ransom note, a ransom letter that concerned Cullen. Cullen had taken a group of Templar recruits out to the Graves in an attempt to give them some experience as well as to teach them that they do not need lyrium to use their abilities. It was one of these recruits who had sent Talon a letter informing him of Cullens disappearance. Talon had received the letter the same day Dorian had received his. The letter indicated that Cullen had been taken by a small group of blood mages and that they demanded that the Inquisitor and Dorian be the ones to retrieve him. 

They managed to narrow down their search to one area in the graves with the help of Leliana and her agents. Recently, learned of a cave that may be housing the blood mages from an Inquisition scout who had been surveying the area for them. "What if he's not in there? What if he's dead?" What if thoughts ran rampant though Dorian's mind and it began to worsened as now every single day was filled with what ifs. The pair had decided to scout out the cave that scout had mentioned to them in hopes of either find Cullen or possibly gain new information about his whereabouts.

"Here! This should be the cave the scout mentioned" Talon began shouting, breaking Dorian's train of thought .

Dorian turned around to see Talon ushering him over. Dorian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his mind before making his way over to him. Talon entered the cave first before Dorian handed him a burnt out torch he had found lying on the ground. Dorian lit the torch on fire before Talon continued into the cave. They began to pick up their pace as they approached the end of the tunnel they were following. They reached a clearing taking a few steps into it before ducking down behind some rocks as they heard voices approaching. 

"You twat! We going to just going to scare him!!! But no! You had to go and use stinking blood magic on him!!!"

"Sorry......" 

They heard a sigh. "For all we know....for all we know The Inquisitor may already be here ready to kill us for something you did!!!"

Dorian moved slight in an attempted to see the mages faces but knocked a few small rocks lose in the process, which in turn alerted the mages. 

"They're here!! Run, tell the others!!"

Dorian flew out from his spot, attacking them. Talon jumped up sendin an arrow straight into the back of the fleeing Mage and watched him as he fell to the ground, dead. The continued to follow the tunnel and eventually found themselves in another clearing. They saw Cullen laying on the ground with the mages standing around him. Dorian became enraged and attacked them without a second thought. Talon joined in the fight and neither of them stopped until every Mage was dead. Dorian turned and ran to Cullen's side, dropping his staff in the process. He slid onto his knees picking up the man slightly.

"Amatus....AMATUS!! I swear I'll kill you myself if you don't wake up!"

Dorian shook him gently a few times as he tried to wake him. Eventually, Cullen's eyes fluttered open; he looked at Dorians face for a moment before screaming and shoving him away. Dorian fell back and sitting up slightly, eyes full of shock. Talon watched as Cullen went to draw a dagger from its sheath. He sighed with relief when he saw that the sheath was empty. Cullen crawled away from them in a panic as he started to throw rocks at them.

"Stay back you filthy blood Mages!!!"

Dorian stood slowly, making direct eye contact with him as he slowly moved closer to him. Cullen continued his shouting as Dorian got closer and closer before he knelt down in front of him.

"Cullen....?" Dorian looked at the man in front of him, at the man he loved dearly. It was destroying Dorian to see Cullen like this, this was the first time he'd ever seen Cullen so consumed by fear and it was rather unnerving. "It's me....Cullen...it's Dorian...can you even hear me?"

Cullen looked intensely at him, as if he were studying him. "D-Dorian?" Cullen hesitated for a moment before reaching out to the man. "Is....is it really you Dorian?

Dorian smiled as he nodded, tears slowly beginning to fall from his eyes. "Yes, yes it is!"

Cullen flew into Dorian's arms, collapsing against the man. Dorian held him close as the man broke down.

"They made me see terrible things!!!"

"I know....but you are safe, this is real...I am real!!! I am so sorry that I didn't get here sooner...."

Cullen looked at him, eyes red and puffy from crying. "B-but your here now...right?"

"That's right Amatus, that's right." 

Dorian kissed him before gently kissing his head over and over. They had managed to save him but it would take Cullen a long time to recover. Dorian planned to be at his lovers side and would remain there no matter happened.

**Author's Note:**

> I enjoyed writing this s it was a nice chance of pace plus I recently replayed Origins, so that helped.


End file.
